


The Storm I Believe In

by zzoaozz



Category: G.I. Joe (Marvel Comics), G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013), G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra (2009)
Genre: M/M, alteration of character's fate from movie cannon, descriptions of cruel and unusual punishments, fictional organizations, minor OCs - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-14
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-03-12 08:37:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3350330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zzoaozz/pseuds/zzoaozz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Storm Shadow proves his innocence in the murder of Hard Master, but he must still pay the price for all those he has wronged.  A chance to pay back some of those debts comes in the form of an invitation from General Hawk to teach the GI Joe team how to combat an enemy like him.   The position brings him face to face with Hawk himself, one whom he has wronged even more than the others.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Domo sumimasen

**Author's Note:**

> This is not a pairing I have ever seen before, but it won't seem to let me be. Ratings as always are subject to change. Forgive the short chapters to begin with, the setting needed to be separate.

Storm Shadow took in the entire moment allowing his senses to absorb everything at once as he had been trained to do. He deliberately ignored Zartan behind him. The man in front of him was only slightly taller than him and stout just short of being overweight, brown haired, light skinned, ordinary looking really, except for his eyes. They were a deep, golden brown, intelligent, honest, self-assured. The ninja identified him as the Joe leader, General Abernathy, Hawk they called him. He was a warrior, this man, not a politician or a desk warmer. He felt a pang of regret for what he was about to do, but he had to know if his brother was here. He needed to see him again. It was an obsession that he with all his stubborn will could not resist. For the first time in his life, he struck with surgical precision to maim not to kill. Hawk fell, as he had planned, within reach of the alarm button and the deafening wail of sirens shattered the silence.

"Domo sumimasen," he whispered softly into the wounded man's ear as he bent to take his keycard.


	2. Wrongs and Punishment

Hawk felt a twinge of pain in his thigh. He was going to have a hard night of it. Just because he chose to ignore his damaged thigh did not mean the arthritis and tendonitis would ignore him. He gazed at Roadblock's report and the dull anger surged again adding a stress headache to his growing list of complaints. Duke would recover. He closed his eyes and offered up a silent prayer for that. Roadblock had checked after the bombing, felt no pulse. He had come back in the morning and taken the tags of the fallen, but in the heat of the moment he had not checked pulses again. That would not have happened if one of the squad had been trained in battlefield first aid. He had already issued orders to correct that oversight. It was a miracle that Duke had lived. Locals had found him while looting the bodies. They could easily have killed him, and no one would have ever known the difference, but they did not. He had woken up in a rundown clinic shortly after the president was freed. The death toll had still been terrible, but all his core team was intact, more or less.

The one person he had never imagined would become unstable was beating his knuckles bloody on the heaviest punching bag in the gymnasium. He pulled up the security feed and was not surprised to see Snake Eyes still abusing himself. He cued up the video footage from the rescue and watched the black and white ninjas fighting together. He knew from dealing with the Arashikage family when setting up GI Joe that nothing they did or said was without meaning and most things had multiple layers of meaning. He pulled a notepad from his drawer and stared at the words written there: domo sumimasen. 

He had written them down phonetically first then searched online translators until he discovered what they meant. Storm Shadow had whispered that he was sorry. He had spent hours wondering about those simple words. Was he sorry for cutting him, sorry for attacking, sorry about those he had killed, sorry for something much deeper? Were the words really for him at all? Perhaps they were for Snake Eyes. He watched Snake give Storm Shadow his family sword on the monitor then looked over at his finest soldier drowning in guilt on the security camera. He squared his jaw, took a deep breath, and scrolled down the contact list on his personal phone.

Fire Storm gazed down to the arena below from her glass walled guest room. Tomisaburo's trial was over. He had cleared himself of the murder of his uncle and master, but he had still fled instead of facing his responsibilities. He had also given clan secrets to outsiders. He had accepted his punishment. The Hand had been merciful. He would be welcomed back into the family. She should be glad, but she was his mother despite her status in the hierarchy. She had felt every blow that landed on his flesh, burned with the same shame that had colored his face. Her heart had soared with pride when he took it all without a whimper. Hebi would be furious with her for not telling him until after it was over. She sighed feeling her age for a moment. So much pain had come to her son because she had loved a gaijin orphan as well as she loved him, more perhaps, if she were honest with herself. She picked up her tablet and touched the screen delicately scrolling through Hawk's revised proposal. She would have to force it on the Hand, but they would yield to her. They always did. The hard part would be convincing her sons that it was the best thing for both. 

Storm Shadow sneered at the contract in distaste. "Is this Hebi's idea? Keep me where he can kill me if I turn traitor?"

"No. I have not spoken to your brother about it yet. He had nothing to do with the request." Fire Storm watched him with the same sharp black eyes he possessed, eyes that missed very little. She saw his puzzlement for a moment before it turned to suspicion and she wanted with all her soul to personally crush Cobra beneath her heel for planting that cold distrust in her fiery, baby boy.

"Who requested it then? He is the only one who might want me there. I am sure the rest hate me."

"General Hawk requested you specifically."

"Why?"

"He wants you to teach the Joe's to defend against someone like you or 'that woman' you trained."

In his mother's lilting voice, 'that woman' sounded an awful lot like the foulest of curses. He hid his smirk by turning to gaze out the window into the garden. "I did not teach her that much. She was already too old to learn the Art even with hypnosis and the nanomites. So are the soldiers in GI Joe. There is nothing I could teach them any martial arts expert could not. Nothing I am willing to teach anyway." He was quiet a long moment. "I wronged Hawk."

"How did you wrong him?" She watched his back intently noting every change in posture, this was something new. She had never seen him admit to regret let alone actually feel it. It could mean nothing in the long run of things, or it could mean everything.

"I struck to cut the tendons in his thigh, but not the arteries. He deserved a merciful death but instead I crippled him. He will always be lame, there is nothing that can be done to fix it. I should have killed him cleanly. I dishonored him for my own agenda. I owe him an explanation."

"Americans do not see things the same way we do. Begging forgiveness for not killing him and offering to right the wrong you did would not be something that would inspire comfort."

"Yes, I know more of their ways now than I ever really wanted. I can explain why I chose to do what I did without being threatening. I can be diplomatic when I choose to do so believe it or not."

"Of course, you can. You were always far more clever than anyone else realized." She smiled warmly at his back. His mind was already made up; she heard it in his voice. That left only his brother who was no less stubborn but far more forgiving.

"Will you take a name now?" She changed the subject without missing a beat. She did not really expect to catch him off guard so easily and she was not disappointed.

"When I wish to take a name, I will tell you. For now, I will continue to call myself Arashikage unless you or the rest of the family object."

To her ears his normal sarcasm sounded a little tired, not quite as biting as normal. She saw pink blooming on the white cotton of his hakama and had to exercise a calming mantra to stifle down the fury that rose and flared in her like her namesake. "You are bleeding through, Tomisaburo. Go soak the swelling down. I will inform Hawk and the Hand that you accept the contract."

He turned and looked at her with a frown, but nodded. "Tell Him as well. I am not ready to deal with Him yet. He still has not spoken a word and it makes me want to hit Him."

He did not have to name his brother, she knew who he meant by 'He'. There had ever always been only one 'He' for either of her sons.

"I have lived with his silence since the day you left. He may not ever choose to speak again, he has come to know the stillness in his own head and use it as both weapon and armor. It his choice and you can do nothing but learn to live with it as did I. "

He made a noncommittal sound then turned to the door. "Good night, Mother. For what it is worth, I missed you."

"I never stopped loving you, son, and I never will."

He nodded once hesitating for a long moment, then walked away. She bowed her head acknowledging her bitter disappointment and the new hope both struggling within her and letting them flow out of her into the universe, outside her being where they could do her no harm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arashikage is the family name given to Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes in the comics and later to their entire ninja enclave. It literally translates to Storm Shadow, so in effect, in the comics and cartoons Storm Shadow is going by his last name and Snake Eyes could just as legitimately call himself Storm Shadow. In the first few issues of the Hasbro toy line, Storm Shadow was given the full name Tommy S. Arashikage. Later in the comics it is mentioned that his name is Tomisaburo. Tommy then would be an Americanization of the name, though Thomas or Tommy could easily be nicknames. Hebi is Japanese for Snake, Hebi no Me would be Eyes of the Snake. It seemed logical to me that family would shorten that to Snake just as his companions on the team do. Snake Eyes was never given any other name in the comics (to date) and one of his two very different origin stories holds that he was severely wounded when Arashikage found him and has no memory of his real name. Believe what you will, in this fan fic he has no other name and no one calls Storm Shadow Tommy except him.


	3. Facing Up

Duke stepped back warily as the ninjas faced each other. The energy between them was palpable, even Ripcord was silent and tense. Any fool could see that it would only take the tiniest spark for that energy to erupt into violence. It was possible that the entire team together could physically separate them, but not without injuries. He racked his brain looking for something to say to break the mood that had descended the moment Storm Shadow had stepped out of the plane onto the pit hangar floor. He was saved from having to act by the General's approach.

Hawk took in the combat stances the strangely volatile feeling in the air between the brothers and sighed to himself. He had expected this, but his instinct told him he was doing the right thing.

"Arashikage!" He snapped his voice sharply, just as he had heard Fire Storm do when dealing with her personal guard.

It worked. Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow turned immediately to face him all traces of tension gone. They exuded the same air of quiet alertness her men had. He knew that the relaxed stance and expressionless looks masked the fact that they were prepared for whatever order was to follow whether it be fight, flee, or bring a cup of tea.

"Storm Shadow, most of the crew are aware of your presence via rumor, but only the alpha team has been made aware that you will be joining us. I will be informing the others this afternoon and I will brief the alpha team on your duties and their responsibilities after lunch. Until then, I want you to make yourself comfortable in your quarters. I would rather not have anyone thinking you are an enemy and reacting without orders."

"Snake Eyes, I gave him the room beside yours. Show him there and help him get settled in. I strongly encourage you both to discuss family matters and work things out between you, but you are both highly trained and highly paid professionals, so I expect you to do so on your time not mine. Understood?" 

"Yes." Storm Shadow's reply was short and totally uninflected. It revealed not one bit more of what he was thinking or feeling than his brother's desultory nod.

Hawk looked at them both for a long moment. He could not help the small thrill of excitement at the idea of having two full ninja masters at his disposal. Storm Shadow was only cleared to teach, his superiors still did not trust him not to turn on the team, but he would work slowly and steadily to get around that. Soon, they would be able to accomplish far more with fewer casualties. No more events like Paris or Washington or the massacre by their own forces. His jaw set hard, but his voice was level and warm as he ordered everyone to get back to work then dismissed them. Storm Shadow stood still a moment looking him over appraisingly then nodded and fell in beside Snake Eyes. He wondered if they were aware that they had synchronized their steps the moment they were side by side. He doubted it.


	4. Teacher

"Try it again, Hauser... with a little less fail this time." Storm Shadow's voice was flat almost bored sounding, exactly the dismissive tone that drove Duke like a whip. He grunted in annoyance and attacked the blocking robot with more ferocity than was necessary, but Hawk noticed, with far more attention than he had paid the first time through. The white clad man did not seem to notice. Hawk knew that to be an affectation. His report would show that he noticed everything about his student's performance. Turning his back on Duke, he paused to watch Scarlet assume an archer's stance and draw a bead on a swiftly moving projected target. He touched her elbow just slightly and she changed its position without the slightest waver. He looked down her arm as she led the target. "Good," was all he said and walked away, but it was enough. Scarlet's face lit as she released her arrow with flawless precision.

Hawk made his way down the gang plank just as Storm Shadow finished a sneering tirade at Shipwreck. The sailor was excellent in a pinch, but he was lazy. Beachhead and the other trainers had given up on him already. He was not really good enough at any one combat style to qualify for the ninja's lessons, but he had asked Storm to take on the challenge and he had acquiesced reluctantly. Their shouting matches were incredible from the first day and by the second week Storm Shadow had beaten the much larger man badly enough to send him to the medic not once but twice. Concerned for the sailor's safety, he had asked Snake Eyes if he should take steps to separate the two. Snake had shaken his head with certainty and advised him to give it a month. As usual, he had been correct. They still screamed at each other, called each other names vile enough to make his ears burn, and threw the occasional random punch, but it was working. Horace's scores had come up in every category. He was paying more attention, responding more rapidly, and proving more effective in actual combat as well.

Storm Shadow saw him and ordered Shipwreck back to work. He did not salute as he approached any more than he ever called anyone 'Sir'. He did, however, bow his head formally, which Hawk took as a gesture of respect.

"You are a better teacher than soldier, and that is saying something."

"If you say so." The disbelief was clear in his voice.

"I do. Could I borrow your eyes and your cunning for a moment?"

A dark brow arched upwards curiously, "Oh? How could I say no to such an intriguing invitation?"

Hawk smiled easily. It had taken him a while to learn to ignore the heavy edge of sarcasm in everything Storm Shadow said. Once he had though, he had begun to realize that the ninja might very well be the most cunning person in the whole facility. His personnel files were all sealed like Snake's, but if he had to guess he would bet his IQ was at least as high as Scarlett's.

Storm Shadow looked up at his commanding officer who was watching him with an intensity that would have been considered rude in Japan. His eyes were almost golden, maybe a little redder, like polished amber. He returned the stare for a long moment, but it did not phase Hawk in the slightest.

"It's a trap," Storm confirmed.

"I thought it might be, but I couldn't see how." Hawk leaned forward as a slender finger moved surely over the map showing him the way the whole layout was designed to tempt them into attacking then lead them down into a funnel shaped killing field. "And I am guessing these shielded communications units are something much nastier, maybe laser gun turrets or missile launchers."

"Probably. Do you want me to go in and see for sure?"

"You could get in and out of there without risking yourself?"

Storm Shadow gave him a scathing look and declined to answer.

He found himself smiling fondly at the Asian. "Of course, you can, forgive me for questioning your abilities. However, you are not cleared for recon work."

"So, you have one of the deadliest assassins in the world at your command and you are sending me back to the classroom to teach idiots not to cut off their own toes?"

"You are teaching them a lot more than that and you know it. You may fool everyone else, but I happen to read the reports you write, and I know what I see with my own eyes."

"Maybe." Storm wore the sulky half frown that usually preceded him pushing his brother into a fight.

"You're just bored."

Black eyes snapped up to his flashing for a moment with something that might have been anger, then they half closed, and he slouched for all the world like a house cat pretending not to care.

"I can't give you orders to scout that facility, and if you just happened to go there on your own, I couldn't send backup if you needed it. I couldn't share your report with my superiors either so only I would ever see it. Besides all that, if I were to know for certain that you go over the wall somehow any time you like without permission, I would have to do something about it." The wicked smile that lit his companion's face almost took his breath away.

"I understand completely. Sleep well, Hawk."

"General Hawk to you," he corrected automatically. "Be safe."

"Always."

Hawk read the final summation of the meticulously detailed report and rubbed his forehead. It was worse than he had thought. There was no way he could take the installation without heavy casualties. He flipped the bundle over with a frustrated sigh, then saw a single line of elegantly slanted writing on the back.

Too bad for them that the laser towers and force field generator are improperly grounded and will short out as soon as they sound the alarms."

He could have kissed Storm Shadow if he were in front of him at that moment. He scrambled the team.


	5. The Edge

Hawk heard the clang of steel on steel before he reached the dojo as the crew called the area the two ninjas chose to teach in. He took a calming breath and offered up a little prayer for patience. The mission had taken much longer than anticipated and Storm Shadow had worried about his students and his brother, and now he was taking it out on Snake Eyes who was already exhausted from the battle. He rounded the corner prepared to order them to stand down and stopped in confusion. It was Duke rather than Snake sparring with the white ninja. He was wielding a sword clumsily and Storm Shadow was merely parrying it away, not striking back, letting Duke wear himself out.

"So, you let that green shirt, whatever his name was, walk in before you. Wasn't that his job?"

"It wasn't his job to take a bullet for me!" He lunged heavily and Storm Shadow danced out of the way.

"I'll bet if you asked him that question he would say it was his job to die to protect his commanding officer. I'll even bet that if you had gone in first, he'd be the one here wallowing in self-pity."

"I am not wallowing in self-pity, you little bastard!" Duke snarled.

"Oh no? What do you call whining because someone else did their job with honor and courage?"

"He was my responsibility!"

"Oh so? I thought he was a soldier not a child."

"He was a soldier, a damn fine soldier!"

"And he died the way a soldier should. Would you resent it if you had done the same for Hawk?" Storm Shadow's voice went from a disgusted sneer to warm and reasonable without transition even though his facial expression never changed. 

"Of course not, I would lay down my life for him any day."

"Then why do you think Miller was any less an honorable man than you?"

"He wasn't. He was a soldier, just like me, and if he had to choose his way to die, it would be in battle, same as me."

"So, what are your angry about, Hauser?"

"Because I couldn't save them all and yes, I know how stupid that sounds."

"That's not stupid, that's what makes you a commander."

"Sending people in to die?"

"Saving as many as you can, idiot, and not letting grief over those you can't paralyze you. Someone must take command, someone must carry the burden of the choices made. That someone must be strong for everyone else. You would never let Miller, or Scarlett, or even me carry the guilt for a choice you made because you are a leader. You will mourn Miller and you will go on so that his death is not in vain because you are a leader." Storm Shadow was fierce and certain, and Duke had to lower his head in the face of his intensity. 

Duke dropped his sword wearily and rubbed the sweat out of his eyes blinking rapidly against the stinging. "You're right and I need to make sure my team is okay now. Thanks for letting me take it out on you."

Storm Shadow snorted derisively, "It's not like I have anything better to do."

"I owe you a beer sometime for listening."

"I don't drink beer."

"What do you drink?"

"Champagne, but only with fresh strawberries. Other than that, tea."

"Champagne and strawberries?"

"Don't knock it until you try it. Now get out of my training room."

Duke thanked him once more then took the cue and headed out, stopping just long enough to re-rack the sword. Hawk waited until the door had shut behind him before stepping out into the light. Storm Shadow nodded at him but did not seem startled at his presence.

"I expected Snake Eyes would be sparring with you, not Duke."

He stopped by, but Duke was already here so he waited in the shadows like you, long enough to make sure Hauser was going to be okay then he left. He'll either be meditating or standing on his head in a corner somewhere if you need him."

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you."

"About?"

"The mission went flawlessly, I owe you too."

"Got a better offer than beer?" His silky voice actually sounded sultry.

"Watch it, boy, I happen to know a liquor store beside an organic grocery."

"Ah, would you wine, dine, and sixty-nine me, then? I didn't know you played for the other team." He smirked.

He blushed but laughed easily. "Don't tempt me, Ninja."

"Oh, but I like to tempt you."

"Would you do me the honor of sharing a cup of tea with me, and then looking at what we found in the facility?"

"Am I cleared for that?" In an instant the playful teasing vanished and his voice was sharp and cold as a dagger in a blizzard.

"I didn't ask anyone's permission but yours." He kept his tone gentle but two could play at semantics. "I have black and green, nothing fancy."

"Black, strong, with just a touch of sugar to take the edge off."

"Trust me and I'll have you back in combat soon, I promise you." His voice changed just as swiftly as Storm's had to one of earnest reassurance.

Dark eyes regarded him seriously for a long time, then Storm Shadow smiled, just a little smile, but a real one with no sign of the usual sneer. Hawk felt his heart squeeze tight in his chest. His hand moved of its own volition, reaching out to push a lock of ebony hair back from the other soldier’s face. Then he turned quickly away heading back toward his own quarters and wondering just why he had done that.

Storm Shadow watched him retreat thoughtfully. He was a good man, a good commander. He knew how to give people what they needed to bring out the best in them and he was trying to do the same for him. He did not seem to realize how little was actually left inside of him. The physical punishment he had received was nothing. Pain was an old friend. It was feeling all those eyes on him. Knowing that he would always be a traitor in their minds, that had hurt. He had spilled more than blood, sweat, and tears into the sand of the courtyard as the whip cut into his back. He was broken deep inside where the healers and psychiatrists he had been forced to see could not mend. Hawk was limping again and seeing him in pain was just one more stinging slash across raw flesh. He took a calming breath and released it slowly seeking his center and pushing the emotions away.

He felt another presence and turned his head to see his brother looking at him. Snake's posture looked as weary as his own soul felt. As silently as he had come, the black ninja was gone, and the room was colder somehow without him in it. Storm Shadow roused himself, put the practice blade away and headed toward Hawk's quarters. Tea would be good; another human presence would be better. He wondered idly what Hawk would do if he walked into the room crawled into his lap like a child and just curled up there with his face hidden against his chest. Would he think he had lost his mind? Had he lost his mind? Some days he was just not sure.


	6. Any Means Necessary

'By any means necessary.' Those were the words he needed in writing. Hawk scanned his thumbprint and acknowledged receipt of the order then paged his assistant to deliver the orders.

Storm Shadow paused a moment outside the door before stepping inside. he had been summoned to the war room with the alpha team. Outwardly he was calm, but inside he was tense and wary. He took a steadying breath and stepped inside. The eyes of the alpha team followed him as he moved to stand beside Snake Eyes. He was a little surprised to see more curiosity than distrust in them. He stilled his restlessness and locked his eyes on his commander at the front of the room. 

"Thank you for joining us, Storm Shadow."

Hawk pulled up the holographic display and let the squad get a good look at the target a massive, seemingly impenetrable underground structure. "Intelligence has confirmed that the Cobra scientists are operating inside this structure. The missing civilian scientists and their families were taken inside and at least three of their children are still alive." Three red dots appeared on the display, two together and one several floors down from the other two. "These three were implanted with id chips when they started school. Apparently, Cobra has never bothered to check the children for tracking devices. We have received approval from both the pentagon and the UN to infiltrate the installation by whatever means necessary." 

"Their primary concern is discovering what Cobra is cooking in those labs and whether it is a threat to world peace. You and I already know that if Cobra is involved in anything, it is a threat to the world and everyone in it. My primary concern is destroying this facility and making it impossible for Cobra to duplicate their experiments. I want all of you to study the intel we have, look at the model. Find a way in, vulnerabilities we can exploit, devise a plan to completely neutralize the installation and as many Cobra operatives as possible."

"Command has also expressed the opinion that as much as they might regret it, freeing the civilians is not practical. I do not agree. I have been given a bit of leeway in the matter but I intend to take the proverbial mile instead of that inch." There were murmurs of agreement all around. Hawk nodded acknowledgement of their support. "Alright, with that said, is there anyone in this room who does not want to be part of this mission for any reason? Speak now or forever hold your peace." 

Storm Shadow caught Hawk's eye and lifted his brow questioning. Hawk met his gaze and nodded once. His curiosity stirred and he found himself watching the older man intensely trying to read everything he could from his expression and posture as he went over everything they knew about the structure and the forces inside it. Then those eyes met his and held them as if they could see to the core of his soul. 

"Storm Shadow, that means I need you in an active combat position. If there is any flack about it later, they can take it up with me. It also means I need you and Snake Eyes to work together like the flawless team I have seen you become." Both Arashikage nodded once in unison. "I want the two of you to infiltrate that monster somehow without being seen. As you can see, what information we do have was gathered with long distance imaging and is not reliable. I do not want to send our forces in blind. I need more information and I need you two to get it for me. You will be equipped with portable holographic displays of this model that you will update real time with as much information as you feel is relevant."

" Our best hackers have not been able to even detect their computers let alone get inside them. Snake Eyes, I want you to find out what they are doing. Steal anything you can get undetected, hard drives, thumb drives, lap tops, paper files, journals, take pictures of equipment, anything at all that might give us a clue. While you are doing that, scout out their weapons and control systems. See if we can somehow sabotage them from inside or bypass their defenses from outside. If an opportunity arises that will not jeopardize the scouting mission, Take it." Snake saluted him and nodded acceptance. 

"Storm Shadow, I want to save as many of those civilians as possible. I want you to determine how many are alive, pinpoint where they are, and come up with a way to get them out." Dark eyes widened in surprise and there were more than a few mutters of surprise around the room. "Storm, I have seen you with my own eyes break into the most secure prison in the world and extract Cobra Commander. No one believed that could be done. No one believes these civilians can be saved. I have been as much as ordered to sacrifice them and I cannot walk away without even trying. I need you on this one."

"Yes sir, General Hawk."

Hawk would have recognized the respect in the quiet voice even if he had not used his formal title for the first time or saluted just as sharply as his brother had. He smiled grimly. "Alright everyone, find a way to get them inside and extract them safely, then start working on bringing these bastards down."

The resounding 'Yo Joe' as the General finished was deafening to Storm Shadow. He saw his brother's posture tense for a moment too then relax. It made him feel marginally better that he was no more used to the loudness of the team even though he had been with them for years longer. Three fingers touched his forearm tapping lightly in a code he still remembered from their childhood. 'I'm glad you are going in with me. Tommy.' He looked up at the blank mask wishing he could see his strange pale eyes. "So am I, Hebi." 

Only after he had settled into his narrow bed to get a few hours of sleep in the early dawn did it hit him that they had called each other by their nicknames for the first time in ten years. 

Dawn came, cold and gray with heavy clouds that threatened rain. A strong wind blew down from the cliffs overhead whistling around the single rickety shack that hid the elevator down into the installation. A Cobra soldier disguised as a farmer meandered along the single strand barbed wire fence doing a lousy job of trying to look like he was not a guard walking a perimeter. Duke lowered his binoculars and nodded at the ninjas and without a sound, both faded like ghosts into the trees. 

They had both exchanged their normal uniforms for medium grey that would help them blend into the weather outside and the metal walls inside. They reached the hidden ventilation shaft and wasted no time opening the grill and squeezing inside. Storm Shadow went first. There were times he was glad to be smaller than his brother. They made better time than they had estimated through the shafts to the access panel. They had decided it would be most efficient to separate once they were in the ventilation and maintenance shafts and access-ways. From there, they would work their way up one quarter of the building then down the other. That would give them the best overview of the operation. Once out in what appeared to be a huge boiler room, Storm Shadow tapped the watch like device on his wrist pulling up the diagram of the building and the three tracking marks and choosing his route to the east where the two marks were together. 

He started to go then hesitated. Abruptly he reached out and caught Snake's wrist squeezing it tight whispering, "Be careful brother." A bigger hand covered his and squeezed back hard before tapping, 'you too, brother.'

Storm Shadow slipped into what was obviously a series of torture chambers. This was where the final mark was located and he was pushing time. He had spent longer than he meant to casing the area where the civilian scientists were working and the tiny squalid rooms where their families were held. The devices here looked well used and far too familiar. This was Mindbender's place. He crouched under a low table as a heavy set man in a blue uniform stomped past followed by a middle aged woman in a lab coat over blue scrubs. Her sensible heels clacked just as angrily on the tile floor as the man's combat boots. 

"This isn't something you can rush, Major Bludd. The reason the conditioning didn't work in the past was that too many people interfered in it and changed methods when it didn't work instantly. Now you have two very dangerous ex-operatives out there because of it."

"Oh, so do you want to go tell the Commander to keep his nose out of the conditioning lab and let you do your brainwashing in peace? Cause, I'm betting that'll go over real well, Lady."

"No, no! Of course, I am not suggesting telling the Commander how to do anything!" Now there was clear fear in her voice. "I will of course cooperate with Dr. Mindbender's agenda."

"Yeah, that's what I thought, Lady." 

The male's voice was contemptuous. Storm Shadow did not remember the man, although his code name sounded familiar. He and the woman exited the room together as he updated the display. 

He listened at the half-opened door they had just come through and heard nothing. Cautiously he stepped through staying close to the wall and lower than eye level. He found himself in a long room with cells on either side. Only one turned out to be occupied. A boy of perhaps twelve was curled up in the corner, naked and filthy and covered with burns and wounds. There was a bowl of water untouched by the door and nothing else in the room. A blinding full spectrum light beat mercilessly down on his emaciated frame. 

The light seemed to swell filling Storm Shadow's vision until the world was awash in white light and his skin burned from the heat. It was him on a cold floor, stone instead of tile, covered in his own filth, voices spoke into his head telling him what to do, what to think, who to be. He was hungry, and he hurt, and he was ashamed; but he would not let them see him cry. He would not give them the satisfaction. He was Arashikage; he was Storm Shadow. The words became his mantra, his shield, his only anchor in the swirling maelstrom of madness. A broken whisper tore his attention back to reality. 

"Daddy will come. Just wait. Daddy will come," A ragged cough stole the boy's voice. 

The Ninja broke the lock from the cell with a single drop of his heel on the latch. He lifted the boy with a gentleness that would have shocked anyone who had been there to see it. In the torture room, he found a lab coat hanging across the back of a chair. The boy struggled weakly as he wrapped him tightly and used the leather straps securing his weapons to tie the child tightly against his chest. Storm Shadow ignored the weak movement and looked around. With a practiced eye, he rearranged the room to make it look as though the place had been ransacked. Then he lay in wait beside the door. 

He was at the rendezvous point no more than five minutes past his planned time but already his brother was pacing like a caged tiger in front of the blind. He unfastened the boy and handed him over without any explanation, so he could climb into the back of the hidden jeep and get fastened in. "Let's get back to base, now. He needs a medic." 

"He?" Duke stared at the white wrapped bundle. 

"Trust me, get us back, Hauser, now." Duke gunned the engine without another word and Snake Eyes handed the boy back to him and settled beside him. 

He closed his eyes and held the boy against him. It was coming back now, hard and fast. He felt sweat trickle down the back of his neck. Fingers touched his wrist lightly, questioning, but he could not answer. He pressed his side against the solid body beside him and tried not to tremble. He felt the fingers leave his wrist then a strong arm had slipped behind him, between him and the seat back and settled at his hip pulling him even closer to Snake Eyes so subtly no one else would ever see. Gratitude surged through his chest and gave him the anchor he needed to find his center and calm himself. 

Both the team medics were waiting when they arrived as well as Hawk. He lifted the boy onto the stretcher waiting behind them and unfastened the coat, so they could see the shape he was in. "He has been repeatedly tortured, starved, sleep deprived, maybe raped, and probably drugged. I couldn't leave him there. I made it look like one of their own people was responsible for his disappearance. I am sorry if that makes the mission harder. I take full responsibility for my decision."

"You did the right thing," Hawk's voice sounded warm not angry or disappointed. Storm Shadow looked into his eyes and saw no insincerity, nothing but approval. 

"Any of us would have done the same," Duke's hand squeezed his shoulder briefly. "C'mon team, let's see what Snake and Storm got us on the big model."

"He has double pneumonia on top of everything, poor child." Doc looked over at Lifeline letting his stethoscope fall back into his chest pocket. "Get him into the medical bay now and get an IV in. I want fluids, nutrients, and a rotation of antibiotics before we do anything else. I want someone with him all the time, talking to him, telling him he's safe. He may have serious phobic reactions when he realizes he is in a hospital setting. These look like surgical scars on his abdomen." 

Lifeline nodded at his commander. "I'll stay with him myself until we can get someone from psych up here. He abruptly turned and hugged Storm Shadow hard. "He wouldn't have made it much longer. God bless you for saving him." Then he was gone leaving Storm Shadow standing in confusion. 

Hawk took his arm and led him toward the war room. "Wait." He stopped dead and turned on him. "I was supposed to get in and out unnoticed. I created a variable that could complicate the mission. I failed to obey you." 

"You did everything I asked of you, Storm and exceeded my expectations. You pinpointed the hostages, you scouted the facility, you came back safe. You exercised your judgement in rescuing one of the hostages early. That action caused some unexpected reactions which you dealt with admirably. That is exactly what I want and expect from you. I am proud of you."

Storm Shadow bowed his head for a moment. "Thank you, General Hawk. That means more to me than you know." He raised his head and took a calming breath before following the others into the room. He still had to free the other hostages and he had the bare bones of the plan already laid out. 


	7. My Choice, My Price

Storm Shadow stepped out of the shower knotting a towel around his narrow hips. He had not been so exhausted in a long time. He was not hungry but knew he should be. The thought of walking to the mess hall was just too daunting, he would do without and pay for it tomorrow. It had been a long and hard battle. He had brought the civilian hostages out losing only one who had been wounded to begin with and had refused to continue slowing them down. He had begged Storm Shadow to save his family and give him a chance to be useful in his death. The man had taken a grenade and collapsed the tunnel he was in cutting off their pursuers. He would have bled out before they made it out anyway. He could not begrudge any man the chance to make his life count for something. It was not a flawless victory, but it was a victory anyway. Then when he handed the hostages over to Hawk, he had not needed to ask, Hawk had jerked his head back toward the structure and nodded for him to get back in the fight. He had fought until the last Cobra had fled or died and every Joe was out. Now he just wanted to stagger to his bed and sleep a week.

The smell of miso soup struck him like a hammer as he stepped into his quarters and his half-closed eyes shot open. A covered soup bowl sat on his small table, along with two bowls of rice and a pot of tea. His eyes rested on the man slumped on his couch in front of the table, looking just as exhausted as he was in the dim light shining from the bathroom. Honey blond hair pulled into a tight tail in back, long enough in front to cover his face with his head bowed as it was. Pale skin stood out against a black t-shirt and sweats. He was barefooted and still damp from his own shower. It was a measure of how tired he truly was that he had not heard or smelled him come in.

"Talk to me, Hebi." He had not meant to say that or for it to sound like a plea.

A somber, handsome face rose to look at him. Impossibly blue eyes latched onto his as if reading something in the black depths that only he could see. "I can't"

The sound was only a movement of air not a voice at all. There was no vibration to it, no power. His brother's voice had been deep, strong. It had sung to him, late at night when they were boys and he couldn't sleep. It had mocked and teased and goaded him and praised him. It had screamed at him and threatened him. It had been so much a part of his life that the thought that he might never hear it again had never occurred to him seriously.

He was in front of his brother and forcing his chin up in a moment. Only Snake's quick reflexes saved the table and the food. His finger traced over a deep scar, one he had never seen before, that ran across his neck. It was too straight to be an accident.

"Who?" He was white hot with fury. He could not scream only hiss, "who did this?"

"Doesn't matter anymore." The strained breaths ghosted against his ear. He could feel snake swallowing, and knew how much they cost him.

He bowed his head down resting his forehead against his brother's collar bone. The floor was cold on his bare knees. His hand slid over to a warm wrist and tapped. 'Did you do this to hurt me?'

'No' fingers spelled out on his wrist.

'An enemy?'

'No.'

He grew cold. His voice was only a whisper , "They punished you for what I did?"

'No, this was for something I did. Let it go and eat.'

"What did you do? I will not let it go until you tell me. You know I won't." He felt the chest under him rise and fall wearily.

'I told the Hand that hunting down and executing a boy was pure cowardice. That if they had no more honor or courage than that, they had no right to judge the actions of others.'

"You spoke up for me, even when you thought I was guilty?"

'I told them you were Arashikage and only Arashikage had the right to hunt you down, and only when you were fully a man.'

"Go on," He did not want to hear the rest, but he needed to hear it. "All of it Hebi."

A strong chin came down to rest on the top of his head then a rough cheek. For a long moment the fingers on his wrist were still, then they began the modified braille tapping again.

'They were shamed when the people gathered at the council seemed to agree with me. They agreed to give you seven years to grow into a man and master your skills. During that seven years, an Arashikage would be taken from their regular course and trained only to hunt and kill you, any Arashikage except for me. I honestly think that mother chose Jinx because she knew that she was no match for you and never would be. The Hand said that I would be punished for my insolent words in a way that would insure I never spoke with disrespect to my elders again.'

"Mother doesn't know does she?"

'No, I went to the council when she was away in America. Sooner or later someone will tell her, but no one has been brave enough to risk her anger yet.'

"She will never forgive them. Nor will I."

'It was my choice, my price, and you are here and alive, so it was worth it.'

That was it, the final straw. Tears broke from Storm Shadow's eyes, the first in years, and he laid his head in brother's lap and wept silently. Strong arms wrapped around his shoulders. A larger body curled down over him protectively and just held him. "I didn't deserve your sacrifice, but I will make sure you never regret it," he managed to choke out once he was in control of himself again. Snake's big hands stroked down his back gently then slowed as his fingers found the scars of his lashing.

One hand flew from his skin and the lamp blazed to life blinding him. Calloused fingers moved over the still prominent scars tracing them down his back from below his shoulder blades to just above where his towel began. He could hear the fury in the sudden intake of breath above him.

"It was my choice, my price, and I am here." He parroted Snake's words back at him and felt his brother sag in defeat. He got up and thumped down on the couch beside him. "I'm here, Hebi. What's left of me. My life is yours, brother. I will never betray you again, whether you forgive me or not."

'I forgive you. Forgive yourself.'

"It's not that easy."

'I know. Eat.'

He did eat. The soup was warm, and he felt as if he had been cold for a lifetime. The rice filled the emptiness in his belly and his brother's presence by his side filled the hole that had been torn in his soul the day he left home. After they finished they sat together in silence leaning against one another for simple physical contact until exhaustion won and dragged them down into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is not a single cannon answer on how or why Snake Eyes does not speak. It was brought up in various story lines. In one his face was terribly burned and cut in a helicopter crash or explosion. In that cannon his face looks like a zombie. You can find pics of it online. In another story line it is implied that he was shot with either a bullet or an arrow. In the movies they chose to have him make a vow of silence until he brought Hard Master's killer to justice. I choose to make my own dramatic plot device here. For reference, in this continuity, Storm Shadow's mother is head of their ninja clan. All the ninja clans answer to a body known as the Hand. This is basically a council of elders from all the clans that keep them from fighting with each other and keep ninja secrets a secret. The punishments they mete out seem harsh and cruel by our standards but look at the proud and powerful warriors they must keep in line. Any sign of weakness or favoritism and they would be unseated from the council at best, killed for embarrassing their clan at worst. They knew Snake was right and they conceded that, but they still had to show their people that a mere boy could not speak to them that way and get away with it. Storm Shadow's punishment was harsher but simpler, mere physical pain for sharing minor secrets with Cobras. It would have gone much worse if he had given them any truly protected knowledge.


	8. Timeline

Hawk paced back and forth in his study. The battle had gone well. The hostages were freed, the facility destroyed, and Cobra's research confiscated, but something kept nagging at him. It was the boy.

The CIA and military had both pitted their best psychologists against the question of why Cobra was able to find so many fanatically devoted followers. FBI profilers and psychology masters had offered up their best theories. Operations had thought that if they could find a way to undermine his officers' loyalty they could get the advantage they so desperately needed to eliminate the terrorists once and for all. Nothing had panned out, though.

Brainwashing a twelve-year-old boy could produce just such a follower and God knew that many sects and factions employed boys around that age regularly. He closed his eyes, replaying Storm Shadow's report. Then he stopped breathing as his whole body grew cold as ice. Storm Shadow knew what was happening to the boy on sight. He had been pale and tense when he handed the child over. Not because he thought he disobeyed orders, that he would simply face directly and calmly. No, Storm Shadow knew what the boy had suffered because he had suffered the same. 

Cobra had taken him when was twelve years old if he was the same age as Snake Eyes. He had started to appear in surveillance videos about four years after Cobra had begun to show his head. He would have been sixteen or seventeen then and already performing assassinations and thefts, but there was something else something important. Rex had not yet gone down into that bunker at that time. If Duke's story of what happened was figured into the equation, Storm Shadow would have been eighteen or nineteen when Cobra Commander was supposed to have been created in a combat accident. Two years later Storm remembered who he was and that he had been misled. He had wandered a year then gone home to make things right. Now two years from that date, he was here but that wasn't important. Storm Shadow was around 25, Cobra had existed before he was 12. Rex was 29, only four years different. 

"There is someone else," he whispered, "someone who started building his army from children one at a time before Storm Shadow or Rex were born." He lurched to his feet grabbing his cane and was knocking on the door to Storm Shadow's room urgently. He only realized that it was three in the morning when the door was thrown open by an exhausted looking blond with astoundingly blue eyes.

It took Hawk a moment to get over his shock and confusion. The fact that the stranger just stood there saying nothing finally clued him in. "Snake Eyes?" The terse nod relaxed him. "Sorry to wake you, I need to speak to Storm Shadow, immediately. Did you change rooms?"

Snake shook his head 'no' and waved him inside flipping on the overhead light. Storm Shadow was awake and pulling on a white dressing robe. He looked rougher than Hawk had ever seen him. His eyes looked swollen and his complexion pale. His hair was in disarray. The remains of a light meal for two sat on the table in front of the couch. Snake swept them up and carried them away as Storm Shadow offered him a seat. He chose to perch on the coffee table. If he sat on the couch, it would be embarrassing trying to get back up.

"Storm Shadow, how old are you? Around 24 or 25?"

"Twenty-five. Why?"

"The Cobra timeline we've been working with is incorrect. That's why we've failed to take them down. Our knowledge base was incorrect from the beginning. Rex may be the face of Cobra, but he is not the heart. He was chosen as a boy to play his part, just like you were. Look at it. Zartan would have had to spend years infiltrating the village outside the Arashikage training facility. Why would he have invested that kind of time and effort in the random chance of seducing a young ninja away from his family? No, you were targeted and taken just like that boy in the infirmary for a purpose. Rex was also chosen by someone to serve a purpose."

Storm Shadow looked confused. "Wait, I am not following all this. Hebi, would you make me some tea, please?" At his brother's nod, he raised his hand to still his commanding officer. "Let me wake up a little then start at the beginning and tell me what you have learned and why my age has anything to do with it."

Hawk took a deep breath and ordered his thoughts. He took the hot mug, Snake offered him and looked up at the man he had never seen unmasked before. His eyes looked tired like his brothers, not battle tired either. "Are you two okay? Did I interrupt something?"

"No," Storm Shadow sipped his tea gratefully. "I was too tired to go for food after the battle, so Brother brought it to me. We were eating and talking about things we should have talked about long ago. Then we fell asleep on the couch which is not comfortable at all." He put his arms behind his head and stretched making his back and shoulders pop. He smirked a little, "were you jealous?"

Hawk pointedly chose to ignore the teasing. "Forgive me for waking you, but there were some things I needed to ask you right away to clarify my theory."

"Okay, Hawk. I have some caffeine in me, ask."

"You were tortured and brainwashed in the same manner as that boy?"

Hawk jumped at the sharp snap of Snake Eyes clenching his fist so hard his knuckles cracked, but plowed on. "You said the woman said that because of interference with the procedure two dangerous operatives are now on the loose. One of those operatives is you?"

"Yes," Storm Shadow answered succinctly.

"You said the woman said that because of interference with the procedure two dangerous operatives are on the loose. One of those operatives, is you?"

"Yes."

"Who is the other?"

"I don't know."

How many of Cobra's operatives have been brainwashed that you are aware of?"

"Not counting those altered with nanomites?"

"Correct." Hawk leaned forward watching his eyes as he thought.

"Myself, Firefly, and Zartana. There were also the twins, Tomax and Xamot and Troll, their computer expert. Many more I don't know. Maybe as much as two thirds of his officers. Maybe more."

"What can you tell me about each of those you do know?" Hawk asked.

Storm hesitated a moment then nodded to himself. " I knew Firefly best. Firefly was fifteen when he was picked up in Australia. He was trying to make a living as a mercenary. Something happened with his parents, something that messed him up in the head. We weren't friends. I didn't have any friends and didn't want any, but we didn't hate each other. We got along which is pretty rare for me. He isn't with Cobra anymore and he isn't dead. I helped him get out. I used Roadblock's predictability to fake his death. I arranged for him to be smuggled out of the country, get a new face and a new identity. I don't know where he went but I do know that he has always had someone, somewhere, that he is protecting. Cobra may have learned he is alive and he is the other ex-operative they are talking about but I don't think so. They knew their conditioning failed on me, but I taught him to hide it before they realized it. I was extremely careful every step of the way in getting him out. I am certain only the three of us have any inkling that he didn't blow himself up on the beach." He caught Hawk's eyes then. "Don't ask me to help you find him either, please, because I won't do that, and I don't want to disappoint you."

Hawk was genuinely touched. "I will never ask you to do that. I promise. Everything you say here tonight is strictly confidential."

Storm Shadow relaxed a little and nodded his acceptance of that promise before continuing. "Zartana is Zartan's twin sister. He loves her as much as he is capable of loving anyone. He brought her in because he didn't want Cobra using her to control him. He didn't allow them to use nanomites on her, but he let them give her to mindbender.. She was actually a sweet girl before they changed her."

"The twins are younger than me, they were only seven or eight the first time I saw them. They were a little strange and seemed to be able to read each other's minds. They could also crack any code or solve any puzzle you put in front of them, but they were sulky and whiny. Mindbender broke them completely. They are insane now actual clinical homicidal psychopaths. Never underestimate how dangerous they are."

"Mindbender is insane too. You should already know that. I don't know if something made him crazy or he was always like that. I know he was locked away multiple times for human experimentation and was always freed by people who wanted to use him to create weapons. I heard him mutter about it once. The brainwashing lab was his baby and it was always in use. People would come in, men, women, and children then disappear again. Some were given over to me to teach, but most I never saw again."

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "There are others I would know by sight, but I never cared to learn too much about anyone. I had my own secrets to keep. Those secrets were the only thing that kept me human. My only chance at salvation."

"Are there others Storm who could be rescued and freed from their control?" Hawk's voice was gentle, and he dared to touch the back of Storm Shadow's hand where it wrapped around the handle of his mug.

"You have no idea how hard it is to leave."

For a moment, Hawk could see the old pain and shame in Storm Shadow's eyes, and he would have given anything to erase it.

"Most who were strong enough to resist are dead or mindless neo-vipers. If they catch me, they will try reprogram me and if they can't they'll put those things in me. I will die by my own hand before I allow that to happen, though. Never again will I serve any master without question, never!" Storm Shadow's voice was low and rough with emotion, His brother's strong hand dropped onto his shoulder and Hawk's hand closed over his on the cup.

Hawk looked at the other man realizing the depths of his courage and the power of his will. "I won't let them take you again if I have to burn every one of them to ash," He promised softly.

He straightened up. "Can you find me some paper and a pen, Snake? I'll draw the timeline as I know it. Cobra Commander is not the force behind Cobra. It is older and probably more widespread than we knew. I need to know who our real enemy is. I need to know who the other operative is because that is a wildcard that could bite our asses somewhere down the road. We've been worrying at the part of the Snake's tail sticking out of its hole, but we have not only not seen its head, we have no idea how deep its hole is or how long it is."

"We cannot let that boy go home until we figure out what made Cobra mark him for conditioning. Understanding his purpose in the scheme might make the difference. "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will introduce the idea that Cobra has been around longer than they thought and there is someone who is hand raising followers to do his bidding and Rex might have been one of those victims. Don't waste any sympathy on him though. He is still quiet thoroughly evil. In the movie, it appeared as if Roadblock blew Firefly up with one of his own devices. It would however have been possible for Firefly to have built a delay into the device causing the flash bang first before the actual blast. He might have been able to make it to safety under the tank or in the water or he might have even had stunt gear on to protect him. Who knows, but he is alive. The comics do it all the time, right? The twins Xamot and Tomax have not been introduced in the movies nor had Major Bludd seen in the last chapter but I felt they were needed to flesh out the chapter.


	9. My General

Hawk paced back and forth scowling at the report. The smell of fresh coffee made him whirl around. Storm Shadow was standing behind his seat at the conference table and pouring the hot beverage from a thermos into a ceramic mug. He set several covered dishes on the table and opened the lids. The smell of food made his stomach rumble loudly. It had been over twelve hours since he had last eaten and a full day since he had slept. He managed a weary smile and thanked the ninja.

Storm Shadow gave him a long, appraising look. "If you don't rest soon, your judgement will be impaired. You might make a bad call." His voice was quiet and uninflected, but it hit home like nothing else would have.

"How can I, Storm?"

"You eat now then lie down on the cot. I'll watch the reports coming in and wake you if I don't know what you would order."

"What?"

"No one will ever know. I promise."

"You know me well enough to predict what I would order?"

"Try me. If you wake to find one thing that you would have done differently, then I owe you a forfeit. If no one is the wiser and everything is correct, then you owe me a bottle of good champagne, fresh strawberries, and whipped cream, and none of that frozen chemical garbage in a tub either."

He smiled with real fondness at Storm Shadow. "I'll eat and then we'll see."

He reached for the phone when it lit up, but Storm was faster. "Hawk, report." His impression was perfect, the sound of his voice, his accent and inflection, even the tone. "Swap positions, pull the watchers in front by twos and send them to relieve the watchers in back. That will keep their eyes fresh and relieve the restlessness for a while. While you're at it, double the guard rotation. The activity will help keep everyone focused. Good work, Duke. Out." Storm checked the audio to text transcription of the call and checked his acceptance. Then he looked pointedly from Hawk to the untouched plate in front of him.

Hawk shook his head and smiled. "Yes dear, I'm eating my dinner."

"You had better, mister, you don't want me to get my frying pan."

He laughed outright at that and started eating. He was asleep with his head propped on his elbow before he made it through the roast pork and potatoes. He woke up undressed down to his underwear on the cot they had moved into the command room for him. Blankets were tucked up under his chin and his uniforms, the regular one and his dress blues were hanging clean and wrinkle free from hangers lodged on the edge of one of the dry erase boards. Storm Shadow was working his way through the IN basket that had been overflowing and was now almost clear.

"I probably shouldn't ask how you know my passwords or how well you can forge my signature."

"Probably not," the deep voice agreed dryly. "You do know they have this word in English, I believe it's pronounced del - i - gate, or something like that. It's what people of your rank normally do with things like equipment requisitions, invoices for damage to civilian property, and fabric swatches for the rec room curtains."

"Sounds kind of shady to me. I like to keep an eye on things. I do need to convince Washington to settle those claims though."

"I already did. The checks will be overnighted tomorrow with sincere apology letters."

"Really? How did you get them to agree to pay so quickly?"

"You don't want to ask that either."

He looked at the slender man typing rapidly and glancing down at the form beside the keyboard only occasionally. "You're amazing."

"Hmm, perhaps."

"You truly are, thank you. For everything, Storm. The food, the reprimand, the work, accepting my request in the first place."

The keys grew quiet and the ninja looked down at his hands on the keyboard. "Thank you for trusting me when I didn't even trust myself, for giving me a chance and a purpose, for giving me back my brother. I can never atone for what I did, the innocent people I murdered, but I promise you, I will spend every day of my life until Hell comes to claim me doing everything I can to prove to you how sorry I am."

Hawk heard the naked grief in his voice, read the shame and regret in his slumped shoulders and lowered head, and saw for the first time the scars hiding under the flawless performance, the sarcastic drawl, the relentless perfection. He didn't even think about decorum or what anyone might think. He cleared the floor between the cot and his desk and pulled Storm Shadow up out of the chair into a fierce hug.

He growled against silky hair, "You already told me you were sorry the first time we met, and I forgive you. The man you are now, is not the one that did those things. If you don't believe me, ask anyone. You can't go on castigating yourself forever."

"I told you?" Storm's voice was muffled against his shoulder. "What do you mean?"

He fumbled on the desk for his wallet and thumbed it open one handed, tweezing out the wrinkled paper with his fingers. "See?"

Storm took a step back and looked at the paper. "Eh?"

"That's what you whispered in my ear when you cut me. I spent years puzzling over what it meant, whether it was even meant for me."

"You carried it around with you? I don't understand why?"

"It gave me hope." He smiled down at the blank look on the Asian’s face. "If Storm Shadow was sorry, the deadly, brilliantly cunning Storm Shadow, then maybe our enemies were human after all. You my friend were the most terrifying soldier Cobra ever had, no NeoViper ever came close. Every time my leg ached, or I woke up with muscle cramps, I would pull out that paper and think, He spared my life for his own agenda. His family meant more to him than the lives of the vipers who died because he let me pull that alarm. He might work for Cobra, but he doesn't belong to them."

Storm Shadow thought about it for a while, then nodded. "I understand. You are crazier than I am."

Hawk blinked. "Storm-" 

Storm Shadow put two fingers over Hawk's lips and looked up sternly into his eyes closing the subject. "I will stay here until the siege is over. I'll take care of meals, breaks, errands, and routine matters until this is over. I will also take last watch and handle the phones and messages while you sleep. No arguments."

"I thought I was the general here."

"You are MY general. Now grab a shower and put some clothes on so I can get some sleep. Chop, chop."

Hawk laughed then pulled away flustered as he realized he was mostly naked and Storm Shadow felt incredibly warm and solid in his arms. He muttered his acquiescence and escaped to the shower. It had been so long since he held a man like that and he had never held one that compared to the deadly assassin making him coffee. He was in serious trouble, he couldn't deny it any longer.


End file.
